The moment the game called Fanta X Aca became a reality.
There were several risks that had to be taken.
The most serious of these was ‘difficulty’.
True to its reputation for extreme difficulty, every single enemy was formidable, especially as the game progressed. Not only did powerful enemies appear, but the villains themselves also grew stronger.
Richard Pierce was a prime example.
Appearing out of nowhere in the 2nd Arc, Richard, who panicked players, later transformed into a calamity that swallowed people whole with overwhelming power, but there was also his role as the Northern Duke.
Strong enemies became increasingly daunting.
And then, a realistic problem was added to the mix.
Ian became intertwined with the progress of Fanta X Aca’s story.
Hidden within the story’s shadows were unknown villains. All that could be done was to vaguely speculate based on the breadcrumbs scattered throughout the story.
If Pongpong, whom they thought had committed suicide early in the story, suddenly appeared as a Bloodened, one could only vaguely speculate that there was some connection to the Bloodstone Cult.
Without even dreaming that it was the Blood Girl.
Everything seemed to return to normal.
“…”
Ian paused for a moment.
It felt like he had returned from being detached from the world.
‘… Was it a dream?’
Perhaps it was all just a pointless ordeal caused by suffering in the North.
Could it make sense for a much stronger enemy to appear immediately after surpassing a scenario boss?
The unchanged surroundings, as if nothing had happened, fostered even more futile hope.
However…
It felt too vivid.
The crimson gaze of the Blood Witch, the texture of her skin, everything.
— Tap Tap
As if to confirm, footsteps were heard in the distance.
“…”
His mind grew distant.
‘The challenges just keep coming.’
To face Richard Pierce and then confront such a nonsensical monster.
‘I would’ve been more at ease if it was all for nothing.’
He preferred to believe he hadn’t seen it at all.
The reasons he couldn’t easily believe it, despite its vividness, were twofold.
First was the Blood Witch’s incomprehensible strength.
‘The ability to stop time with magic…’
He had never heard of such magic.
If such a thing existed, it would be a balance-breaking power.
An absolute ability that was impossible to deal with.
Even though Fanta X Aca was a cruel game, there was still a distinction between what was possible and what wasn’t.
But what Ian had just witnessed was clearly a scene where everyone except himself and the Blood Girl was frozen.
‘Did she control each one of them?’
It seemed more realistic that way. Entrapping every human here with magic, stopping them in their tracks, and doing the same with all objects was a deception.
‘Whatever it is, it doesn’t make sense…’
He sensed the extraordinary strength of the Blood Witch firsthand.
She had the power to make the impossible possible.
Second was her obsession.
Anyway, Ian was currently growing.
Growing meant that the enemies already strong enough didn’t know much about Ian or pay much attention to him.
For instance, figures like the ‘2nd Prince’ or the ‘Inquisitor’ had likely never heard of Ian Blackangers.
However.
The Blood Witch was different.
She clearly fixated on Ian himself.
Beyond simple obsession, a distinct madness could be felt.
The Blood Witch’s touch was clearly filled with desire.
‘Why.’
Why would such a nonsensical monster lurk and watch.
There was one guess.
Yurran and Richard from the Bloodstone Cult that Ian had encountered.
Both had subtly hinted that someone high up in the Bloodstone Cult had an interest in Ian.
Moreover.
The story just before Ian’s fusion with Fanta X Aca supported that fact.
Pongpong, who was supposed to have ‘died’ by s*icide in the story, turned into a Bloodened.
If ordinary humans were considered just prey for the Bloodstone Cult…
Everything fell into place when the Blood Witch was added to the mix.
“…”
Ian swallowed dryly.
His mouth felt bitter.
“Ian, are you okay? You’re sweating.”
Danya looked up at him with a worried expression.
“It must be because of mana exhaustion. I’m fine.”
While patting Danya’s head, Lina ran over.
She untied the handkerchief around her neck and wiped the sweat away.
“You should be fine now, Ian.”
“But why are you sweating so much all over… Does something hurt?”
Instead of answering, Ian asked them both.
“By any chance, did you just see something?”
“What?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s go.”
Passing through the portal caused a brief dizziness, and they were immediately in Lichten.
◆
Having finished one scenario, Ian wanted to take some time to relax.
Now that he was aware of the Blood Witch’s presence, getting at least a basic understanding of her was a priority.
So, unpacking their belongings at the dormitory and heading towards the library seemed like a suitable plan.
“…?”
Walking down the street, Ian felt a subtle discomfort.
It was because students passing by kept glancing at him.
‘… What’s going on?’
There were always people staring at Pongpong back in the day, but most of them openly scorned him.
But now, it was a curious kind of glance.
“You were really impressive out there!”
A male student in priestly robes passing by unexpectedly gave him a thumbs up.
“Uh, thanks for the support.”
This time, a girl in priestly robes came over and murmured.
… What’s going on?
Ian shrugged and opened the library door.
Luckily, the scenery here remained the same.
As always, a girl with sky-blue hair was sitting in the same spot with the same expression.
“……”
The librarian greeted him.
Turning her eyes expressionlessly for about a second, she lowered her head back to her book.
‘Initially, it was 0.1 seconds. Have we become closer?’
With idle thoughts, Ian stood in front of the desk.
The librarian looked up at Ian.
“Long time no see.”
She replied with a slight nod.
“What did you do over the holidays?”
No response.
This means that you should ask questions quickly rather than being rude.
Chatting is prohibited. The questions are in short answer form.
After observing a few times, Ian realized how to handle this girl.
“Is time-stopping magic possible?”
The end of his question coincided with the moment she closed her eyelids.
As her sky-blue eyelids slid down halfway, they stopped.
Ian was momentarily startled.
Was time stopped again?
It wasn’t.
— Swish
— Clatter
The noise of flipping through full shelves or adjusting chairs filled the surroundings.
Only the girl in front of him remained frozen.
‘Is this some kind of buffering?’
Just as he thought that, the librarian’s eyes closed fully, then opened.
“… It’s possible.”
“How?”
Instead of answering, she picked up a notepad and pen.
It was larger than usual notepads.
‘If it’s this big, it’s more like a notebook than a notepad, right?’
To exaggerate a bit, it looked like a sketchbook.
Ian leaned forward slightly.
‘What is she writing?’
— Scrible Scrible
Along with the scratching sound of the pen on paper, black ink filled the page densely.
Neat, small handwriting about 8pt in size.
With that small handwriting, the girl filled the notebook-sized notepad with a list of related books.
“… Uh.”
“?”
Raising her head, she continued to toy with the pen.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be able to read all of that.”
Squeak.
Her hand, like an unlubricated machine, stopped.
The librarian nodded expressionlessly, as if nothing had happened.
But Ian noticed.
The last stroke she had written was slightly off by about 1mm.
“Um, but I’ll try my best to read through it. Would you mind?”
Nod.
“Thank you.”
He would have to read one book at a time whenever he had spare time.
Preferably while the librarian was around.
Folding the paper neatly and putting it in his pocket, he asked the next question.
“Could a very powerful villain ever watch over or raise someone who might harm them?”
Ian was curious about the mysterious look the Blood Witch gave him.
He wanted to understand how she perceived him.
Nod.
This time, without hesitation, the librarian handed him the notepad.
Her cheeks seemed subtly flushed.
Was it a feeling of joy, or just a misunderstanding?
Ian glanced at the notes.
————
- 「My sl*ve was a prince of an enemy country, so what? 」
- 「How to devour the disciple you’ve painstakingly raised.」
- 「Ah, Master! You can’t do this! 」
————
“…”
These were quite dizzying literary titles.
Some theoretical books were listed on the back.
————
- 「Psychology of Obsession and Love」
-…
- 「Psychology of the TRPG Board Game Trend Among Recent Empire Youths: Focusing on the Player’s Alternate Persona ‘Character’.」
————
One particular word caught his eye.
Character.
Come to think of it, Fanta X Aca was essentially a typical character cultivation game.
Heroines who, despite overwhelming talent needed to avert world destruction, were little more than cannon fodder.
Even Lina Rosewell, who had shown considerable growth during her brief stint in the north. Handling fire spirits in a place filled with nothing but ice was no easy task.
Moreover, in situations where mana recovery was scarce, she faithfully fulfilled her role to the end.
Danya was a bit of an exception. She wasn’t a heroine, but rather met her end early on due to a definitive incident in the story.
The talent displayed by the living butterfly effect of possession, to Ian’s eyes, showed a remarkable growth trend.
And then there was Sharon Pierce.
Possessing the most radiant potential, yet appearing most mundane among heroines.
Given her lineage from Richard and his master Sasha Asilia, her talent left no room for doubt.
Suddenly, the thought occurred because, prior to possession, Ian was just one of the players.
Being immersed in the fun of nurturing characters, he inevitably grew attached to them to the point of obsession.
Ian realized that the way the Blood Witch looked at him was akin to how one would view a toy or a cherished doll.
Of course, he wasn’t saying she was a player.
Just that…
It was only then that I realized why the blood girl’s eyes looked at her as if she was treating her as a toy or a favorite doll.
He understood why the Blood Witch looked at him that way — his talent, intelligence.
She had repeated such words.
As if raising characters in a game, the Blood Witch was raising Ian in reality.
Just for fun, or perhaps to devour later.
‘… This is really insane.’
The desire glowed crimson in the Blood Witch’s eyes, vivid even now.
Wait.
‘Why did she try to absorb my mana?’
If he was just her plaything, was there any need to harm him?
The sudden thought made Ian quickly circulate mana through his mana circuit.
“… It’s cleared up.”
The tangles with Richard and the mana circuits had settled down.
It must have been because he was sucked in by the Blood Witch once before.
“…”
A tingling sensation crept up, and he remembered the sticky laughter of the Blood Witch.
At that moment.
— Swoosh
He heard the sound of hair brushing past.
Ian lifted his head.
Fortunately, it wasn’t the Blood Witch.
The librarian was tilting her head slightly.
It was only then that Ian realized he was still standing in front of the librarian.
“Ah, sorry.”
Instead of a reply, the librarian nodded lightly.
It must be okay.
Ian waved the notepad she had given him.
“Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll go read them.”
As Ian was about to leave, a soft voice stopped him.
“Rather than books…”
The librarian extended her finger.
“That person. Since earlier.”
Ian turned his head in the direction of her finger.
There stood Silvia, on the verge of tears.
